BBC One

Contents

BBC TV

1964-1966

With the launch of BBC Two on April 20, 1964, the BBC tv service was renamed BBC One, and this second globe logo was introduced - which makes no reference to the new name. An earlier version exists with BBC tv service info. This logo is just the 1960s BBC logo.

BBC 1

1966-1968

The third globe logo - known as the "watch-strap" globe for obvious reasons - was the first to feature the BBC One name, it was introduced on 18 April 1966. It was soon revised with a new version introduced on 6 June 1966.

Having survied three BBC re-brands unchanged, the BBC Schools & Colleges ident was updated in 1967.

1969-1972

Colour was introduced to BBC1 on November 15, 1969, and with it came one of the channel's most famous logos. Designed by Murray Andrew, the "mirror globe" was a mechanical globe with a concave mirror behind it. It was filmed in black and white, the blue colour for the continents and "BBC1 COLOUR" legend being added electronically before airing. The word 'COLOUR' was in Helvetica.

The inclusion of the word "colour" could be viewed as a subtle reminder to buy a colour TV set, as most viewers would have still been watching in black and white at this time.

On 3 January 1971 the BBC started broadcasting Open University progammes on both BBC1 and BBC2, the strand had its own ident and clock which were used on both channels.

1974-1981

With colour TV sets becoming more and more common, more significant changes were made to the "mirror globe" at the end of 1974. The background was now dark blue and the continents yellow, and the "BBC1 COLOUR" legend was replaced with "BBC1" in Futura Bold font.

The BBC Schools & Colleges diamond ident was refreshed with the new colours, but with "BBC1" also being in yellow to signify the morning showing. In 1978 the strand was re-branded with the "dots" ident.

1981-1985

On 5 September 1981, the "mirror globe" was modified once again, with the continents now pale green and the bold "BBC1" legend replaced with a twin-stripe version that had been used on programme slides and promotional trailers since the mid-1970s.

Much tweaking was made to this logo during its first nine months on air as a result of problems arising with the colour scheme and the size and position of the globe and legend. The clock only lasted a few months before being replaced with, for the first time ever, a CGI clock in November 1981.

In late 1981 the Open University ident and clock was also refreshed with CGI versions replacing the mechcanical ones. However in 1984 the strand was re-branded for the first time with BBC1 and BBC2 identifiers added.

In January 1982 the BBC Schools & Colleges dots ident was also refreshed with a CGI version.

2002–2006

On March 29, 2002, BBC One introduced a new look which saw the globe motif disappear from its idents after almost 40 years. Instead the idents featured people in various form of dance and movement. The logo was also altered to match the one already used by BBC Two. Lambie-Nairn were also behind this new look.

"The new channel idents explore the universal theme of rhythm, dance and movement through different activities, moods and world cultures. From the power and grace of a Brazilian dance to the raw energy of a festival, from the high elegance of ballet to the speed and agility of basketball players, the idents bring a new feel to BBC ONE. (...)

Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of BBC ONE, said: 'We aim to capture the essence of the new spirit that is alive on BBC ONE, and reflect it in the new channel’s new identity. Whatever your age, wherever you live and whoever you are, rhythm and movement are common to everyone. BBC ONE should have that same universal appeal.' " - BBC press release

Initially, eight idents could be seen on screen. They were all short in the United Kingdom. Further idents were added over the upcoming years.

2006-2018

On 7 October 2006, BBC One introduced a new identity.

The Circles ident package was announced on the 26 September 2006 as the replacement for the 'Rhythm & Movement' idents that had been in use since Easter 2002. The previous idents were disliked by a large amount of the population, and when Peter Fincham became controller of BBC One, he hinted in August 2005 that the dancers would be changed soon. He announced at the Edinburgh International Television Festival that:

"It may well be that the time is coming to look at a new way of doing it. No date or direct decision has been made but it's under review".

The idents themselves were designed and produced for the BBC by Red Bee Media and marking the end of Lambie-Nairn's time at the BBC after fifteen years. Imran Hanif composed the original music for all idents, having been selected from a shortlist of 12 composers and bands.

All the idents revolve around a circular theme and all feature a scene which is revealed to end in a circle formation. The circle symbol was decided upon as a 'symbol of unity', but it was also a 'nod' towards the classic globe used in previous years. The idents would involve people, plants or animals moving, or whose interaction causes a circular shape, which is revealed at the end of the ident. The circle would then be emphasized by swirls animating around it and revealing the BBC One logo at the end. The channel uses this logo on its idents and promotions, however in cross-promotions, it uses a box logo, similar to the last look, but with the lowercase 'one' typeface.

As with the previous look, no clock ident was used, a trend repeated across nearly all other channels in the UK, however the Generic, Helicopter, Capes and Kites idents may also be used for introduction into the news, following criticisms in the previous look that the dancers didn't have an ident suitable for this purpose.

On 2 May 2009, all the idents were made shorter with new adaptations of the original Imran Hanif music, with the exception of Generic, Hippos and Surfers. These changes were permanent and no original-length idents have been used since.